1925 — 101 years ago
From the Sonoma Index-Tribune of July 25, 1925:
A Matter of Some Sensitivity. A guest at one of the summer resorts lost her false teeth in the swimming tank and enlisted Constable John Mohr in the recovery. The molars, she explained, being unaccustomed to anything but a tumbler, grew excited in the big tank and broke their moorings; a small boy eventually brought them up on the plate.
Robbers Prefer Winchesters. Sometime after one o'clock in the morning, thieves broke a large plate-glass window of the Duhring store and made off with three rifles and a quantity of ammunition. Nothing else in the window or store was disturbed, the loss standing at about $200.
The Limits of Available Swimwear. As the thermometer flirted around the 110 mark, a 400-pound woman toured the local stores in search of a bathing suit that would fit, so that she might cool off in Sonoma Creek. None could be found in her size; she reported that she kept cool instead by eating popsicles.
A Union Undone in Twelve Days. Verna Quartaroli Green, a bride of last March, seeks a divorce from her college-student husband, alleging that discord entered the door within two days and love flew out of the window. The couple had secured their marriage license during a midnight trip to the county clerk after first planning to elope.
The Reward of Fifteen Days. B. H. Miller, the Sonoma rural free delivery carrier, is enjoying his annual fifteen days of vacation, granted each year by Uncle Sam to his employees.
The Wireless Comes to the Orchard. Arthur Baines, the local radio expert, has installed a set at the Spreckels ranch for Ben Wilson and one of the latest models for Agua Caliente orchardist Joe Escolle. The new talking machines are said to be delivering the world's news to the considerable enjoyment of their owners.
1905 — 121 years ago
From the Sonoma Index-Tribune of July 22, 1905:
The Confidence of the Fish. A. J. Tower Co. of Boston, purveyor of warranted wet-weather clothing, advertises its sticker under the motto that while all signs fail in a dry time, the sign of the fish never fails in a wet one. A satisfied customer is quoted attesting that the garments will surely be all right, provided they bear the fish.
A Roof, a Room and Salt Water. The Embarcadero Hotel at Schellville advertises room and board with hunting, fishing, boating and salt water bathing, upon one thousand acres attached to the resort. Terms are set at $1.00 per day.
The Grocer's Modest Arithmetic. A local grocery lists its wares plainly: canned fruit at 10c per can, cream of wheat at 10c per package, and baked beans in the large can. The prices are offered without embellishment, as befits beans.
1886 — 140 years ago
From the Sonoma Index-Tribune of July 24, 1886:
A Wager Against the Trout, Settled by Potato Bug. A Williamsport fisherman, having tried several baits without success, at last impaled a potato bug upon his hook. He returned with more trout than he could carry.
The Philosopher's Solution to the Nocturnal Dog. A neighbor keeps a dog that bays at the moon, and at nothing in particular when there is no moon. Rather than propose the animal's demise, our correspondent resolves to secure his cat where the dog must see her, trusting that the resulting agitation will wear out the owner faster than himself.
The Enlistment Alternative. A Connecticut justice offered a drunkard his choice between joining the regular army and going to jail. The man chose the former and was duly sworn in at Fort Schuyler.
Items retold from the original pages, which are in the public domain; the scans are courtesy of the Sonoma Valley Historical Society collection at the Internet Archive. The century-old OCR is imperfect — where a name or figure was illegible, we have left it out rather than guess.